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Cary Conference 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

On May 10–12, the Cary Institute hosted the 13th Cary Conference, "Linking Ecology and Ethics for a Changing World: Values, Philosophy, and Action." It was convened by Cary Institute Distinguished Senior Scientist Steward T.A. Pickett and co-convener Ricardo Rozzi from the University of North Texas to promote communication among ethicists, philosophers, and ecologists. Lectures were organized to share the key foundations and concerns of the respective disciplines, with the goal of improving the understanding and application of ethical environmental decision making. The work of Aldo Leopold, a pioneer of the ethics-ecology connection, was used as a starting point.

Nineteen invited speakers included Mary Evelyn Tucker of Yale University (Religion and Ecology), Peter Vitousek of Stanford University (Maori Traditional Ecological Knowledge), and Nalini Nadkarni of Evergreen State College (Ecologists' Connections to the Fields of Philosophy, Religion, and the Arts). More than 80 invited participants attended the event, including many international scholars. It was made possible through funding from the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity at the Universidad de Chile, Santiago, the Center for Environmental Philosophy at the University of North Texas, and the National Science Foundation.

Inaugurated in 1985, the Cary Conference has become an important forum for discussion of challenging issues at the forefront of ecology. To date the biennial series has attracted more than 800 leading scientists from 25 countries. Learn more online.